Jackett’s is disqualified

Cornish coach operator, Jackett’s Coaches, has lost its licence to carry passengers. The decision comes after the region’s Traffic Commissioner, Kevin Rooney, said he was “clearly in the habit of putting passengers and the public at serious risk”. Trevellyan Jackett, 33, who traded as Jackett’s Coaches, was also disqualified from acting as a Transport Manager anywhere in Europe for two years. Rooney made the orders after holding a public inquiry in Bristol on 16 October 2017.

Mr Jackett, who told the Traffic Commissioner he had ceased operating ahead of the hearing, was authorised to run eight vehicles under his licence from premises in Callington and Gunnislake. The inquiry was called after an investigation by the DVSA into Mr Jackett’s vehicle safety standards. In his report to the Traffic Commissioner’s Office, a DVSA vehicle examiner raised several concerns, including three vehicles found with safety critical defects.

During one of the encounters, where Mr Jackett had driven the vehicle himself, an examiner also found five out of six tyres were seriously defective. Records revealed that Mr Jackett had completed a vehicle defect check sheet before using the vehicle on the day and had recorded no defects. The DVSA officer also identified a number of other problems with fleet maintenance. Additionally, Mr Rooney heard that on 30 June 2016, one of Mr Jackett’s coaches lost a wheel, which struck another vehicle on the Tamar Bridge.

In another incident, on 15 December 2016, one of Mr Jackett’s vehicles collided with pedestrians crossing a road at the Tesco Filling Station on Transit Way in Plymouth. Two people were injured, one seriously. A subsequent DVSA investigation concluded that although there were defects present on the vehicle, they had not contributed to the collision. The orders for revocation and disqualification took effect on the day of the hearing.